


Stranded

by SlightlyMelancholic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Animal Death, Aquaphobia, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Family Fluff, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith's family is worried, Lance is the goodest boy, M/M, Missing Persons, Stranded, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-03-30 14:26:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13953519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlightlyMelancholic/pseuds/SlightlyMelancholic
Summary: After a failed attack, Keith finds himself stranded on an island. Can he stay alive until help comes?





	1. Dread

Keith hated everything, absolutely everything about the Blade of Marmora.

 

It was too cold for Keith, who often found himself shivering when he was trying to sleep. It was too quiet. No one ever talked, unless it had to do with a mission. It worked him to death. Keith had gone days without sleeping or eating. He had to train for at least two hours a day, and if he was injured, he had to heal ugly and mundane. The Blade had none of those fancy Altean healing technologies that the castle had. He had countless scars on his body, some still not fully healed. He was more bruised and beat than ever.

 

Finally, it was lonely. No one to talk too, no one to goof around with and no one to share moments with. He had walked away from his only family, or the closest thing he had to one. He would give anything just to hear another one of Lance’s jokes, taste Hunk’s cooking, listen to Pidge ramble on about some new device, feel Shiro’s hand on his shoulder, or listen to Allura reassure them.

 

But he had walked away from them. Oh how he desired to just see them once in person. But if he left the Blade, he would have no place in the universe. He would be a useless soul. To begin with, he wasn’t really anyone anyways. At least he had a use in the Blade. Still there, he was just one soul out of millions and millions.

 

He often found himself gazing out into space late at night when the rest of the Blade was resting. He could never sleep here, it just didn’t feel like home. He had considered leaving, but he had a role.

 

They all had jobs, Voltron had a job, the rebels had a job, the blade had a job, he had a job. He just couldn’t step away from them.

 

“Can’t sleep?” A deep voice said from behind him.

 

He knew the voice well enough to not have to turn around. Keith merely nodded.

 

“You should get some rest, Keith” Kolivan said, “You’ve barely been sleeping.”

 

“I’ll try,” Keith responded, kicking his legs off of the windowsill he had been seated on.

 

He knew well enough that he wouldn’t be able to sleep. However, he forced himself to lay in bed until he had to get up anyways.

 

He laid in his bed silently for who-knows how long, staring at the darkly covered walls that surronded his bedroom.

 

His silence was suddenly met by the alarms blaring at 4 am.

 

 _“Galran transportation ship attacking nearby hugely-populated planet”_ Boomed over the speakers.

 

Keith quickly change out of his night clothes into his uniform. He was used to having to wake up early and go on a mission. This was a common occurence here.

 

Keith ran down the hallway to the hangar, fellow blades behind and in front of him. As quickly as he had pulled himself into bed, he pulled into a fighter ship and cruised off.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

_“Come in Kolivan, I’ve been hit. Repeat, I’ve bee-”_

 

Keith flinched as another one of their soldier’s ships exploded in a wave of dust and fire.

The mission was supposed to be to destroy a small Galran transportation-ship, not a huge fleet.

 

The mission had been going successful, but then, out of nowhere, a huge fleet of Galran ships had appeared, severely weakening the blade’s forces.

 

_“We need to retreat!”_

 

_“We can’t retreat, not when we’re this close.”_

 

Keith maneuvered his aircraft out of the incoming storm of blasts. At this point he knew they were in trouble. But there was one weakness on these massive ships.

 

If he could fire at their large jets, he could shoot them down and take the fleet down with it. But currently he didn’t have an opening with all the ships .

 

“Someone cover me, I’m going in” He said into the comms.

 

 _“Copy that, Keith, I’m on it”_ Vrek responded.

 

Keith flew downwards as Vrek shot incoming drones down.

 

He had to aim this just right. If he could hit the jets, then the largest one would take down several other ships with it, since they were all fairly close together.

 

_“They’re opening a wormhole Keith!”_

 

_“Keith, get out of the way!”_

_  
_

He knew that it was risky, but right as he fired a shot at them, the galra ship fired back and opened a wormhole for the fleet to flee into.

 

The blast hit Keith’s ship with tons of force, sending him flying into the wormhole. The controls on his ship were rendered useless.

 

“Come on, come on!” He yelled, frantically pressing buttons.

 

Nothing was working. Gravity from a nearby planet had started pulling him in.

 

Keith cursed under his breath, trying to get the controls online. The planet started rushing closer and closer towards him, as Keith tried to pull up. He already knew he was doomed, but was glad he had hit the ship. Hopefully, the rest of the Blade’s attack force made it out. His booster’s on his ship had been slowing the descent, but now they weren’t working.

 

The last thing Keith saw before darkness was miles and miles of blue ocean.

  
  



	2. Injury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith wakes up

Keith woke up to a pounding in his head and a warm liquid trickling down his leg. His whole body ached, and the throbbing pain from his wrist made him figure it was broken. The ground under him was soft and surrounded him with a wonderful warmth. However, at his feet, a cold liquid sloshed every few seconds, then retreated.

 

Keith forced his eyes open, and golden sunlight burst into them, stinging his eyes. His vision was quite blurry at first and he couldn’t make out anything except for a golden color surrounding him and the blue sky above. His world swirled around him, created a whirlpool of colors. He groaned out loud and tried to move, but his body refused.

 

With all the strength he could muster, he pushed himself and felt metal brush against his legs. He was trapped under a part of a ship.

And then and there, did Keith feel scared.

He told himself that it would be okay, and he didn’t need to freak out. But he soon found himself laying in terror as he regained his vision.

Eventually, when he was able to make things out okay, he saw sand surrounding him, meaning the liquid waving at his feet must be water. The sand went on for a bit, then cut off into a green and lush mountain, with a satellite dish at the top. And around this whole mountain, was countless and endless waves of blue.

 

From what he saw, he figured that was stranded on a tiny island, surrounded by ocean.

Oh how lovely

 

 _How did I end up here in the first place?_ Keith thought, _And why am I stuck under a ship part?_

 

Then, the memories came crashing.

 

The alarms blaring in his ears as he ran down the halls. Dodging blasts that were bombarding him. A giant fleet of Galra coming out of nowhere. Getting sucked into a wormhole and ending up here.  


He had to get off this island.

  


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

With all his might, Keith pushed his legs free from the metal that had been clamped over them. He had been trying for hours now, and only finally succeeded. He had been wiggling them, until he had found an opening, and using his arms, crawled out from under the shrapnel.

 

Keith fell back onto the sand with a sigh mixed with relief from crawling out and anxiety for what was to come. He was exhausted, and based on the single sun’s position it was probably afternoon. He had no clue on how long days were here but hoped they were fairly close to the Altean hour system.

 

His first act was to assess his injuries. He sat up on the sand and pulled off the Marmoran suit, till he was wearing his underclothes: Black top and leggings. He then proceeded to examine himself, flinching at his own wounds. A long gash sliced his left leg and was currently bleeding. He had other cuts down his arms and a large bruise on his upper right arm. However, much to his relief, his wrist was not broken, just sprained.

 

He needed to bandage up the long gash before it became infected. Thank goodness he always carried a medkit on his belt. He reached behind and let out a sigh of relief when he felt his dagger still in its place. He pulled out the medkit and opened it. It was small but enough to keep it infected. After he bandaged his injuries up, he proceeded to find a shelter for the night.

 

At first, his leg was killing him and causing him to go slower than intended. However, after walking on it enough it subsided to a dull throbbing and became bearable..

Keith surveyed the island. It was a medium-sized island, much like you see in the shows where people become stranded. It was all green except for a sandy shore outlining it, and in the middle, a huge satellite dish. If Keith was going to make it out of here alive, his first task should be getting to the dish and finding shelter, water, and food.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Keith approached the lush part of the forest with caution. It was dark, but sunlight flooded through cracks in the leaf roof to allow light to pass through. He couldn’t see any creatures, but the odd unhuman cries made him figure that he was not alone. He took a deep breath and walked forward.

 

Large flowers and vines dotted the makeshift pathway. It was thin and narrow, but oddly enough, it was a pathway. Someone must’ve been there before. Else, there would be no explanation for the pathways and the huge satellite dish.

Small birdlike-creature fluttered onto the trees, studying him. They were built like bats, but they were feathered and blue, and had black, bulging eyes that had no whites. However, they seemed relatively harmless, so Keith ignored them.

 

Other animals gathered around too. Small four-legged mammals with over-large heads bounced around. Larger birds did too, and so did insects. It was like they had never seen a human before, but then again, they probably hadn’t in their short lives.

 

Everything seemed to be going relatively okay, but it was short-lived. A low rumbling, almost like the one Red used to make, came from the dark brush. All of the animals that had gathered around dashed off in different directions, except where the growling was coming from. Keith nervously drew his dagger, which instantly transformed into its larger form. He was obviously easy prey -- being injured -- and not to mention quite a large meal for anything that lurked.

 

The growling gradually got louder and came closer, until, something white flashed in the corner of Keith’s vision. His fast instincts allowed him to quickly jump out of the way of the large predator. The predator turned around and rounded on Keith. It was like a white tiger, with stripes across it. However, unlike white tigers, it had large elephant-like ears that sprouted from its head, and a long furry tail that it dragged along the ground. It also was much larger, and could easily take down someone who was small and injured.

 

The predator leaped again, this time more accurately. Keith jammed the blade into the creature’s mouth, causing it to howl in pain. It pulled back sharply, leaving black-toned blood on the knife. However, it wasn’t going to give up that easily.

 

It rounded Keith again, this time ready. With no other option, Keith threw the blade into the animal’s side. The animal shook the knife off and let out a soft yowl before collapsing to the ground in a pile of fur and blood.

 

Keith lay his knees into the dirt in exhaustion. Sunset had arrived, and soon the forest would be pitch black. He needed to find shelter soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet
> 
> So there is chapter two :)  
> Feel free to leave kudos/comment


	3. Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith wants to go home. The team wants him home.

Keith’s leg throbbed with a terrible, terrible pain as he stumbled throughout the brush-covered forest. He was positive his wound was open again, as the bandage he had wrapped around it felt soggy. Keith didn’t bother to look at it. He would deal with it later when he was on higher ground, and safer. He had no idea what kinds of creatures would come out at dark. Like all TV shows, the worst came out after sunset, the ones that could kill you. He wasn’t sure if this island was like that, but was afraid to risk it no matter the cause.

He hadn’t been on the island for even 12 hours yet, but it felt like he had been here ages and ages. He felt exhausted and weak, a sensation he hated. Keith had already faced the startling truth that he probably would not make it out of here alive, and if he did, he would be one lucky duck. 

The forest was dark and threatening and preventing Keith from seeing well. He needed to get to higher ground. Keith ran into a large tree and with all the strength he could muster, pushed himself up. While he was climbing up, his bad led brushed harshly into the bark, causing it to burn. He bit his lip to suppress a whimper and pushed himself up. The top of the tree was wide, allowing him to sit up just fine with plenty of room. He pulled his bad leg close to examine it, and winced when he saw how much the blood had leaked through. The white bandage was now a pink-red color and was still wet. With no other option, Keith rewrapped it, shuddering at the open wound when all the bandages were removed. Thankfully, it wasn’t infected, yet.

After re-bandaging it back up, Keith flopped backwards and stared at the fading sky.

 

_ The sky _

 

Keith could feel himself gasp out loud. The sky was a magnificent silver, with dim-white stars dotting it like splattered paint. The sky reflected off the dark ocean, making it look metallic and gorgeous. Two round moons occupied the sky on opposite corners but headed in parallel directions. It was beautiful.

Two Moons. It had two moons. Keith felt a flurry of relief and worry coat him. He might have an idea of where he was. He must be close to where he and Shiro had crashed when the wormhole malfunctioned.

 

_ Shiro _

 

His whole family was now flooding his mind. Their smiling faces looking fondly at him while he gazed out.

 

Something about this planet felt familiar somehow, and it finally struck him. It was reminding him of something. Something wonderful, yet something that made him feel so lost.

Green ivy, crawling around rocks and up slopes, facing challenges and making new paths around obstacles.

 

_ Pidge _

 

The carved out cliffs, with their steep and huge slopes, facing wind and rain.

 

_ Hunk _

 

The silver sky and the two moons, with the stars like eyes, watching over him.

 

_ Shiro _

 

The blue and pink flowers, blooming in the cracks and crevices, in the least fertile soil, and the places you would never think.

 

_ Allura _

 

And finally, the vast, vast blue ocean, that stretched on for miles and miles.

 

_ Lance _

 

They were all here, in one way or another. The only family he had.

_ His family. _

And then and there, did Keith let the bottled up emotions go, and found himself broken and alone.

“I want to go home.” He whispered to no one, choking on his own voice.

But no matter how hard he wished. No one wasn’t there.

Home didn’t come.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Allura’s voice rang over the Castle loudspeakers. 

_ “Paladins, please report to the main room as soon as possible. The Blades have requested a video meeting.”  _

Lance grinned. Sure, the meetings were boring usually and were just something new about quintessence, but it gave Lance a chance to see Keith, even if he was his usual self and didn’t talk. 

Everyone there missed him. Lance had taken to the training rooms because he hated seeing how they were always empty. Keith had usually been the only one to train in there, usually when he was bored or upset, which was most of the time. Now there was no sound of a gladiator being defeated or swords clashing together. Now there was just silence.

Lance skidded into the main room, seeing the team was there too.

“I’m here.” He said, standing next to Hunk.

The video comms clicked on, and Lance was expecting to see a familiar mullet, but all he saw was Kolivan’s stoic face. 

Lance could feel the tension and worry in the room flare up. Keith was always there for the meetings, usually because he was Kolivan’s right-hand man, but Lance probably figured he missed them too. 

Lance shot nervous glances around the room, to see that most of their facial expressions had turned into a familiar look too. 

Lance didn’t pay any attention to the meeting, he was too worried.

“Thank you Kolivan,” Allura said, breaking Lance’s daze.

Allura hesitated to turn off the comms and knew she had the same question everyone else had. He also knew everyone was too scared to ask.

“Kolivan,” Lance asked cautiously.  breaking the silence, “Where’s Keith?”

Everyone turned around to face him. Kolivan stared at him for a moment before responding.

“I’m sorry.” was all that Kolivan mumbled, giving a sad look and turning off the comms, leaving the room in a dead silence.

It was Pidge’s sobs that broke the eerie quiet. Before Lance knew it, the rest of the team was there too. Allura had sunk to the floor with a look of defeat and devastation on her face. Shiro had kneeled down next to her, putting his metal arm on her shoulder, however, his eyes were glassy and red. Hunk’s face already had tears streaming down it like a river. Pidge had buried her face in her knees, Matt holding on to her. Coran stood up, but looked down in shock. 

Lance, meanwhile, collapsed with sobs shaking his forms. He was in disbelief.

He closed his eyes, but that didn’t make anything better. 

_ He saw Keith fighting a gladiator in the training area. _

_ He saw Keith smirking as Lance bickered with him. _

_ He saw Keith’s surprised face as Lance deflected the knife aiming for him. _

_ He saw Keith taking down Galran fighters. _

_ He saw Keith giving him fond looks. _

_ He saw Keith. _

He was their loner.

He was their swordfighter.

He was their Red paladin.

He was their Keith, his Keith.

And he was gone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof  
> This is like the angstiest thing I've written whoops  
> Next chapter will probably be an Allura POV and a Keith POV.


	4. Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team copes with Keith's "death". Keith makes it to the satellite dish.

Allura clenched her fists at the table. The dining room was empty, except for her at the head of the table.

How could she let this happen?

She had failed. Failed him. Failed Keith. She let him die. 

_ This was all her fault. _

Allura’s one job was to protect the paladins. They had already almost lost Shiro once. Now, she had failed to save Keith. The Red paladin.

Most of the team was in disbelief or unwilling to accept that he was actually gone. The only people who had accepted it were her and Shiro. However, they didn’t bring it up. It was hard on them all. Everyone was quiet because they were afraid to mention something. Everyone was broken.

Allura swallowed a sob back in her throat and leaned forward on the table, staring at her shaking hands.

_ This was all her fault. _

“Allura,” a voice called to her, but she ignored it, continuing her staring.

“Allura,” the voice called again, this time sterner.

She ignored it once again.

_ “Allura.”  _ It called out one time with a stern and worried tone, catching her attention. She turned her head to see Shiro standing in front of the door, looking at her with a concerned look in her eyes. He had red circles around his eyes, and stubble growing on his normally clean face.

“Shiro, may I help you?” She responded, gazing away from him.

“It wasn’t your fault.” He said as if he was reading her mind.

“But it was my fault.” She choked out, “I made him a paladin, I chose him.”

“No, the lion chose him.”

“It was my fault.” She snapped loudly at him, “Nothing can change that”

She looked down, feel tears streaming down her cheeks.

“He was so young,” she whispered.

Shiro paced over from where he was standing to her chair and pulled her into a tight hug. She sobbed into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms tighter around her. His metal arm dug into her skin, but she didn’t mind. She felt him also shaking against him, and just hugged him tighter. There, it was just the two of them, suffering together.

 

Maybe, just maybe, things would get better.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Keith panted as he finally made it to the satellite dish. This was probably his only hope of getting off the island. If not, he was probably as good as dead. The satellite dish was on top of a small treehouse, that contained a bed as well as a desk and a few other things. 

He rushed into the room and turned on the monitor that controlled it.

“Please, please,” He said out loud, fiddling with buttons.

_ “Warning fatal error, please replace satellite dish”  _ The monitor boomed in a robotic voice.

Keith stared in shock and in defeat. He couldn’t do that, not out here. His knees sunk to the floor as he stared. He had no hope, no way to leave. He was stuck here, forever maybe.

“No no no no,” He cried out loud.

He didn’t want to be here, not alone, not here. He buried his face in his knees and sobbed. 

He was stranded.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

(TIME SKIP to 1 week later)

Keith’s eyes were pulled open as the sunlight shone on his face. He pushed himself up to a sitting position on the bed. 

Today marked the one month day of being on the island, and shockingly, he was still alive.

He had reached the satellite dish to find a treehouse-like shelter next to it. The satellite disc was permanently broken, unable to be fixed. There was no way for him to get a distress signal out to anyone anymore, and he had given up almost all hope.

However, he was getting used to living like this. He had taught himself to hunt animals and cook decently. Sure it wasn’t as good as Hunk’s, but it would keep him alive. He had also found a spring with clean water close enough. So far everything was okay. It was quite peaceful here. Peaceful, but lonely, very lonely. 

Keith often wondered if his family mourned him because they thought if he was dead or they knew he was just missing and they had tried looking for him. But every time, he rejected those thoughts.

 

_ They don’t need you _

 

Keith often found himself talking to the birds. Even if they didn’t respond back, some company was better than none.

However, by now he was done with this stupid island, with this stupid ocean, with this stupid planet.

Would anyone ever find him?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For people waiting for Klance: First "moments" will be next chapter :)


	5. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith calls out for help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the most beautiful thing I've written

 

Lance gripped the red bayard and felt it burn in his hands. I felt foreign handling it, like a child with a new toy. This was the first mission he was going on since Keith had “left”. It hurt him to think of him. His violet-toned eyes, his long dark hair, his pale skin, the way he grinned, even though he rarely did. If he told anyone that, anyone smart enough to notice would say he was in love. And he was. He had never told anyone, but it was true. He had been in love with Keith since Keith had “cradled him in his arms”. The constant bickering was a way to get his attention.

Lance shook those thoughts out of his head. He had a mission to focus on. He would grieve later.

 

**My Paladin, you are hurting**

 

Lance gritted his teeth and nodded. It was weird hearing her voice in his head. Red rarely ever talked and was very reserved, just like Keith.

**Why are you hurting?**

 

_ I lost someone.  _ Lance responded, feeling his eyes grow watery. He didn’t want to talk about it now though. They were about to go into a battle. He couldn’t let his emotions cloud his judgment. He gripped the controls and squeezed them

 

**Is anyone really ever lost?**

 

Lance ignored her. He felt his face grow wet, but he pushed the tears away. Sitting in the seat of Red was both comforting and devastating. This was Keith’s lion, not his. Or it had been Keith’s.

Lance took a shaky breath and pulled the controls, flying her out of his hangar. He pushed all thoughts into the back of his mind and pushed forward.

“For Keith.” He whispered.

Red left the hangar.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Keith had an idea.

Was it a good idea? He wasn’t sure. Was it a bad idea? He still wasn’t sure. He sat at the top of the cliff, looking at the murky waters below, enraptured by their movement.

He was going to try and contact team Voltron, but telepathically. If it was like he hoped, he might still have a decent enough bond to talk to Red. He had done it before, a while ago, when he had been severely injured on a Blade mission with his commlink broken. However, he didn’t call Red, they just came to him. After being in a cryo-pod for a few Vargas, Lance had told him that Red had been freaking out.

Keith silently prayed this would work.

_ Red?  _ He called out.

No response.

He tried again, and again, and again until he gave up. It was hopeless. He was going to die here at this point. Keith felt tears slip out of his eyes. He had no chance of getting off the island.

At least, not until something called back.

 

**Keith.**

 

At first, Keith thought he was imagining something, but judging by the fact that his body began heating up, something that Red caused, he was communicating with her.

 

_ Red? Red?! _

 

**My Paladin! You are not dead.**

 

Keith flinched at the word paladin but continued.

 

_ You thought I was dead? _

 

**Everyone thought you were dead. All the paladins did too.**

 

They thought he was dead?

 

**Do not worry my Paladin, I am coming to get you.**

 

Keith breathed a sigh of relief and started crying tears of joy from the pure happiness he felt. He was going to be okay.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

“Lance! What are you doing?!” Hunk’s distressed voice yelled over the comms.

“I’m not doing anything!” Lance cried.

Red was freaking out. She was avoiding ships and heading in a very certain direction at top speed. Lance had tried pulling back on the controls, but they weren’t working.

“The fleet is down! Lance come back to it!” Shiro called.

“I can’t control them.” He responded, urgently.

He was going to have a talk with Red when they finally got back. Red had been weird for a while now, but now she wasn’t even listening to him. He closed his eyes in an attempt to talk to her.

_ Red! What are you doing? _

 

**Keith**

 

_ What?! _

 

**Keith**

 

_ Red… he’s dead. _

 

Lance swallowed a sob back in his throat and pushed back tears. It was hard saying it out loud.

“Everyone! Follow Lance.”

Red was going crazy fast now, and Lance was worried he wouldn’t be able to stop them if something got in the way. His fear got worse when they approached an asteroid belt.

“Red! No!”

However, they just went around all the asteroids relentlessly and with ease.

Red finally slowed down when she approached a large, water covered planet, but she still continued fast.

“Shiro? Are you still behind me? Red’s slowing down.” Lance asked.

“Were quite a ways behind you, Lance.” Allura’s voice responded.

“Okay, well, look for a watery planet.” Lance responded, “right after the asteroid belt.”

Moments passed and Red entered the atmosphere. Lance found out that Red had landed on an island.

“Why an island?” he said aloud.

It was awfully small for an island he thought. Growing up in Cuba, there were islands scattered all over the place. It had two tall cliffs that were fairly close together.

He gazed over at the other cliff and frowned. There was something, or someone, trying to get his attention. It was hard to make out, but he jetpacked over anyways.

Lance landed on the ground and looked up.

He froze.

Standing across from him was a boy, shorter than he was, with dark hair and a mullet.

The boy had a stoic facial expression, a mix of fear and relief.

 

_ Keith _

 

Before Lance knew it, his helmet was on the grass and he had collided with the boy in the middle, clutching onto him for support.

_ Keith. _

_ Their Keith. _

_ His Keith. _

Lance wanted to say something to Keith, who had buried his head in Lance’s shoulder but could only choke out a sob.

“Lance,” Keith whispered against his shoulder.

The two fell onto their knees, still holding onto Keith.

_ We thought you were dead. _

_ Where did you go? _

_ What happened? _

“W-we thought you were dead.” Lance choked out.

Keith didn’t respond but just hugged Lance tighter.

 

Lance wasn’t sure what would happen next. But for starters, he would never lose Keith again.

 

When the two finally pulled away, which was ages later, Lance grabbed Keith’s hand, a gesture that in any other scenario would’ve made Lance blush.

 

“We thought you were dead,” Lance said again, this time less watery.

“I’m sorry.” Keith replied, staring down, “I crashed here and couldn’t get in contact.

“How did I- how did Red find you?” Lance asked.

“I talked to her, somehow.” He responded.

Lance looked up again into Keith’s violet-toned eyes.

The next moments were in a blur.

One moment, the two boys were just staring at each other, the next they were kissing.

 

_ Kissing. _

 

Keith had been the first to make the move, but it was obvious they were both waiting for the right time.

It was like fireworks had exploded throughout Lance’s chest. Something he never thought would happen just had, and it was wonderful. Keith’s lips felt chapped and warm against his, but Lance didn’t mind. All that mattered was Keith was there and he was alive and okay.

After they pulled away, Lance broke the silence.

“Let’s go home.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my boys.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cherish Allura and Keith's friendship

Keith spent a few hours in the pod after that. He wasn’t badly hurt, except for the gash across his leg and a broken wrist. He was exhausted and weak than anything.

 

The team had been shocked when Lance had left his lion with an exhausted Keith leaning on him. They had turned around and froze, because the boy they thought was dead, really wasn’t. Keith had given a weak smile, before he was surrounded by arms and his crying team. Hunk and Pidge had been at the center, clutching onto Keith. Pidge had snaked her arms around his abdomen and Hunk had been clutching from behind. Allura had hugged him from the side, while Lance was at the other. Shiro had his arms around Keith from the front, and Coran hugged from the outside. It had been hours before the team let Keith go, and he explained what had happened. How he had crash landed there, and how he had communicated with Red. Pidge commented saying that she really didn’t care what happened as long as he was alive. 

 

Allura had insisted that he go into a pod, even though Keith had at first refused. However, he had eventually complied. Hunk had promised him after Keith left the healing pod he would make a nice meal for him. Pidge told him she would show him some cool devices she made. Keith nodded and headed towards the pods.

Currently, Lance sat sitting outside Keith’s pod, gazing at the shorter boy. The glass was mostly fogged up, disallowing Lance from making out Keith’s facial features, but Lance could still see his figure and imagine his face. 

Lance’s mind was still caught on what had happened earlier when he had kissed freaking Keith Kogane. Freakin Keith Kogane. The boy who he was sure was way outta his league. As much as Lance hated admitting it, Keith had always been the more attractive one at the Garrison. He would get girls and guys crushing on him a lot. However, being the loner Keith was, it was hard for him to open up to anyone really.

But it had happened. Lance wasn’t sure what Keith and he would be after this. Maybe it was just a kiss out of desperation. Or maybe Keith wouldn’t remember. Or maybe it didn’t mean anything.

 

Lance scolded himself. _ Stop being a worry-wash about the future and focus on the present. _

 

He traced shapes over the fogged up glass. He had never gotten to really do it as a kid, due to the fact that Cuba was always warm, and it never snowed. Yet here on the Castle, it happened all the time. He just doodled stars and lions, until the glass faded away into tiny squares, like pixels. Lance jumped up, startled by the hiss and watched as Keith, collapsed out forwards.

 

Lance quickly ran forward and grabbed Keith before he hit the floor. He stabilized Keith by grabbing his elbows. Keith just blinked. 

 

“How was your sleep?” He asked.

 

“Fine, but I’m still exhausted,” Keith stated while yawning.

 

` Lance smirked. “Makes sense. The pods don’t replace rest time.”

 

“I should probably sleep then before anything else.”

 

“Probably should, it’s like one am and everyone else is asleep.”

 

“Then why aren’t you asleep.”

 

Lance shrugged. “Dunno.”

 

“I’ll go to bed, but you should too,” Keith responded, giving a soft smile to Lance and pacing towards the door.

 

The door shut after Keith left and Lance was knocked back to his senses.

 

_ Shoot, I forgot to talk to Keith,  _ He thought, feeling his own eyes widen.

 

“Guess it’ll just have to wait,” Lance muttered, before walking out the door.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

_ Keith was back on the island. Why was he back on the island? Why the island? _

 

_ This time he was on the edge of the cliff, gazing at the dark, pitch water below him. He was close enough to jump off. The night sky was a silver tone, but there were no stars, only the two moons that floated on opposite sides. The waves below him struck dangerously high against the rocks. It was mesmerizing. _

 

_ A low growling noise behind him startled him, and he turned around. He saw the same creature that had tried to kill him on his first day. However, this time was different. There was a pack of them, but they all had glowing yellow eyes and different fur tones. There was a black one, a blue one, a yellow one, a green one, and even a pink one. They approached him slowly until his feet were almost off of the cliff. He instinctively reached for his blade, but there was nothing there. _

 

_ Suddenly, the lions began to glow a bright white, and they changed their forms until they were something more human-like.  _

 

_ Standing in front of him, with golden eyes and sinister faces, was Voltron. Shiro, Lance, Allura, Hunk, and Pidge. They were all there. _

 

_ “Guys it's me, Keith,” Keith stuttered urgently. _

 

_ “You’ll never belong,” Shiro replied, still grinning evilly. _

 

_ “Nobody needs you,” Lance followed on. _

 

_ “Nobody wants you.” _

 

_ “You should leave.” _

 

_ “You’re not worth it.”  _

 

_ They chanted insults at him before Shiro stepped forward. _

 

_ “Shiro what are yo- ACK!” _

_ Keith was suddenly cut off when Shiro pushed him over the cliff, into the dark waters of nothingness below. _ __   
  


Keith shot up with a gasp. He gazed towards the clock, which read 3 am. He was still in the castle and in his bed. It had just been a nightmare. 

 

But it had felt so real.

 

Keith, feeling awful, laid back down and pulled his knees to his face. He tried to not cry, but couldn’t stop the sobs from shaking him and causing his pillow to grow wet. God, he hated crying. What was worse, though, was crying in front of other people.

 

The door slid open quietly, and Lance appeared there, rubbing his eyes.

 

“Keith what’s going on, it’s thr- oh.” Lance stopped himself and padded over the Keith, who was trying not to cry but couldn’t help it.

 

Lance walked over and kneeled next to Keith’s bed and grabbed his hand.

 

“What’s up, buddy?”

 

Keith just sniffled. Why did he have to cry in front of someone? Even worse, why did he have to cry in front of Lance?

 

“I know you don’t want me here. S’okay, I’ll leave in the morning.” he choked out.

 

Lance just looked shocked. He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth.

 

“Is that why you never visited? Because you felt like we didn’t want you here?”

 

Keith looked into Lance’s gaze and just nodded.

 

“Oh my gosh, Keith,” Lance chuckled quietly.

 

Keith bit his lip, and then, Lance was hugging him.

 

“I can’t believe you thought that. If anything, we want you here. Everyone does. I do.”

 

Keith melted into Lance’s embrace and into Lance’s shoulder. He missed hugs, he concluded. Lance came down and kissed his forehead and stroked Keith’s back soothingly. If Keith wasn’t as tired as he was, he would be bright red.

 

Keith began dozing off, however, he thought he heard someone whisper “I love you,”

 

But before Keith knew it, he had fallen asleep in Lance’s embrace.

 

Keith woke up a few hours later, in the same position he had fallen asleep in. Lance was still kneeling on the floor hugging Keith, but also asleep.

 

“I love you too,” He quietly murmured against Lance’s shoulder.

 

Maybe things would end up okay.

 

Maybe he did belong.here.

 

Maybe people did want him.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Allura noted that the team didn’t let Keith out of their sights for the next days when Keith stayed for a few days. He switched between them over every few hours. One moment he would be watching Hunk cook, then helping Pidge with an invention, then he would train with Shiro, or have a quiet conversation in the observatory with Lance. When it was her turn, she would tell them about their alliance with Lotor, or some shenanigans the team got into. He enjoyed just listening to her, it seemed like.

 

Allura had promised silently that she would make sure they never lost him again.

 

Besides, they needed another paladin.

 

“Keith?” Allura called out to the boy who was crouched on the bridge, staring at the stars.

 

Keith turned around suddenly but smiled softly as Allura approached him. He was back in his red jacket, that was all too familiar, to see in. What was just as weird, was seeing Keith smile. Keith had never really smiled when he was part of the team, but it was heartwarming to see him like that.

 

She plopped down beside him.

 

“You need something?” He asked, his lilac eyes meeting hers.

 

“Would you ever consider coming back to Voltron?”

 

Keith broke his gaze and frowned, staring at the ground.

 

“As much as I would love to, there really isn’t a use for me here.”

 

“Keith, can you follow me for a moment.” She asked.

 

He nodded and stood up, following her down the hallway into the lion’s hangar. He stopped before he entered, and Allura looked at him worriedly, knowing exactly what was going through his mind. He took a deep breath and followed her. 

 

She was planning on taking him to the back of the hangar but noticed he wasn’t following her anymore. She turned around and instantly felt remorse.

 

Keith had stopped in front of Red, who was asleep and did not react to any movements he made. He looked up at her sadly as she remained quiet, and looked down and continued. She gave him a comforting look, but he didn’t respond. They passed the Black lion, and Keith looked up and stared, but didn’t stop walking. 

 

The two headed for the end of the hangar, where a huge door closed off another area. Keith gave Allura a confused look.

 

“What’s this part of the hangar?” He asked.

 

“You’ll see.” She pressed a few buttons and stepped back as the hangar opened.

 

A large roar flooded the quiet in the hangar.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Keith could only stare in awe as the door rose, revealing a sixth lion. This lion was about as large as the black lion, but it was coated in a snow white color.

 

“Another lion?” He breathed.

 

Allura smiled and met his gaze. 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Who is piloting it?”

 

“I am,” She said, grinning, “They form a torso, which is odd, but still cool. Lance moved back to blue.”

 

Keith nodded “That’s good.”

 

“Speaking of Lance…” She started, waiting for a reaction from Keith.

 

Keith’s felt his face grow red.

 

“Don’t.” He said firmly.

 

“I knew it” She chuckled and turned her body to face him, “But back to the point, that leaves us a problem.”

 

Keith practically blinked away his blushing and gave a confused look. “And that is?” 

 

“Red has no paladin, and I would never ask for anyone besides you to pilot it.” She started, smiling.

 

Keith wore a stoic expression on his face until it melted into a very excited face.

 

“Really?” He exclaimed.

 

She nodded, and he gave the biggest grin ever.

 

“Thanks, Allura.” He whispered, padding back over to Red.

 

Red’s eyes instantly lit up as Keith approached her, and she purred, approaching him.

 

Keith couldn’t help but smile.   
  


He was home, and he never wanted to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all who read, left kudos, or commented! This was my first ff ever and even if wasn't the best in the beginning, I can see an improvement in my writing.  
> If you liked this, please check out my other stories!
> 
> xoxo <3

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for any grammar mistakes.


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